Plasma screens were the first large, flat TVs to appear on the market years ago. They still remain popular today, but increasingly, are found only in larger screen sizes, larger than 40" diagonal. This seems to be due to the lower cost of making smaller LCD screens. Plasma is reputed to provide better contrast and portrayal of black, better viewing angles, and less motion blur than LCD TVs. Of course, LCD TVs have improved tremendously since they were introduced, but this bias for plasma tends to remain among those who might be considered videophiles.

The Samsung PN58C6400 is a large 58" diagonal, plasma screen TV. Samsung offers at least half a dozen 58" plasma screen TVs, ranging from $1200 to $3000 manufacturer's suggest price. At $2150 MSP, this model sits in the middle of the current range, close to the 55" LCD screen Samsung LN55C650L1F reviewed last November. As with that LCD model, the target market for the PN58C6400 is a buyer who wants solid performance, viewability and versatility but not the multi-thousand dollar price tag associated with high end TVs.

* Samsung Apps Platform* AllShare DLNA Networking
Feature that wirelessly syncs a PC and other digital devices to a TV for full screen playability.
* Wide Color Enhancer Plus
Technology that optimizes hues on a TV and expands the color range for a more vivid viewing experience.
(Sounds like wide color gamut.)
*
ConnectShare Movie Technology that enables a user to access camcorder videos and music libraries directly on a TV screen.
* BD Wise Automates the best resolution setting possible for viewing Blu-Ray DVD products.* Game Mode Optimized for video games *
Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) Allows one remote to control all digital devices in a home theater/entertainment system.
*
1-Tuner Picture-in-Picture
Allows two or more programs to be viewed on one TV screen via inset windows.*
Wireless LAN Adaptor Support (Adapter not suppied. )
* Auto Channel Search
seeks out available channels and automatically programs them for easy cycling.* Auto Power Off automatically powers down television to save energy if no signal is present.
* Auto Volume Leveler
caps volume on loud advertisements so that they're more consistent with programming.* Clock & On/Off Timer
* Closed Captioning* HDTV Tuner Built-in
enables a TV to utilize Digital Television technology.*
Sleep Timer
*
V-Chip allows parents to block inappropriate movies and programs based upon their FCC rating

The unit is much heavier than the last reviewed LN55C650. The carton is much thicker because the stand comes premounted.

1.4" Thin

The PN58C6400 is just 1.4" thick. Thin profile
is often promoted in Samsung (and other TV makers') advertising. But as mentioned earlier, the
benefit is almost entirely visual.

The promotional photo on the left shows the reality: The depth of the stand is the real "thickness" of the TV, and this is true whether the TV is 1" or 6" thick. This stand is typical at 13" deep. It is only when the TV is wall mounted that the benefit of extremely thiness really shows up; no one stands to the side of the TV to watch it.